Masonry contractor in Paradise, CA - brick, block and stone built for the ridge
Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Chico, and we work up in Paradise repairing chimneys and brick, building retaining walls on sloped lots, and laying block and stone for homes being rebuilt.
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Paradise is a ridge that's still rebuilding
Paradise sits on the ridge above Chico, and since the Camp Fire swept through in November 2018, the homes here are a mix of new construction and houses that came through the fire. On one street I'm looking at fresh footings for a rebuild. On the next it's an older brick chimney that stood through the heat and hasn't had a close look since.
It's mostly single-family homes on wooded, sloping lots, a lot like up the road in Magalia, so most of our work here starts with the ground and how much grade a wall, a step or a walkway has to hold.
What working in Paradise involves before we start
Permits here come from the Town of Paradise's Building Division, and when your job needs one, nothing starts until the Town has reviewed the plans and issued the permit, so that review usually sets the start date more than our calendar does. Contractors working here need a Town business license, and the Town's contractor application asks for their state license information, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring, us included, about both. When a permit's needed, we take care of the paperwork as part of the job.
Everything we use comes up the Skyway, so a load of block or stone takes some planning, and on a steep, tight lot we may carry material in by hand, which moves the price as much as the material you pick or how much old work has to come out first. It's the same drive we make down to Thermalito and back home to Chico, so if rain stops work up here, we usually pick it back up once the ground dries.
What do houses in Paradise need from a mason?
A lot of chimneys and brick walls up here stood through the fire, and heat can crack brick and cook mortar in ways you don't see from the yard. That makes a chimney that looks fine one of the first things worth checking.
The other thing is the ground. Lots here usually slope, winter rain comes down hard, and that water heads downhill toward foundations, steps and patios, washing out the soil under them until they crack or settle. Before I price anything outside the house, I want to know where your water goes when it rains, because a repair that ignores the water just cracks again.
- Call (530) 399-1517
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
- Chico, CA 95928
Masonry work we do in Paradise
Chimney repair
Chimneys that came through the fire can have cracked crowns or cooked mortar. We check the whole stack and repair or rebuild what can't be trusted.
Brick repair
Older brick here can be flaking or loose after heat and years of winter rain. Our brick repair replaces damaged brick with a close match and the right mortar.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped Paradise lots need walls that hold the grade and let water out. We build retaining walls on a solid footing with gravel and drainage behind them.
Foundation block wall installation
Plenty of rebuilds here sit on a short block wall over a crawlspace. We lay that foundation block level and square, so the framing above goes on true.
Stone veneer installation
New homes here often get stone along the base or around a chimney. We set veneer over a drainage backing so water gets out.
Walkway construction
Pine roots and runoff lift and wash out walkways on sloped yards. We build walks on a packed base, with steps where the grade calls for them.
How it goes when you call us about a Paradise job
Call or send a request
You call (530) 399-1517 or send the form, and I set a time to come up and see the job. It helps if you're home, because I'll have questions about what you've noticed and when it started.
I look before I price
I figure out what's really causing the problem before I put a number on anything, and you get a written estimate that spells out what's in it. We also sort out whether the Town or the county covers your address.
Permit, then the work
Once any permit is issued, our own crew does the work with me on site. When the job is under a permit, the Town's building inspectors come out to check it while it's underway.
Walk the finished job together
When we're done, you and I walk the whole job so you can see the joints, the drainage and the cleanup up close. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Get a written estimate for your Paradise job
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come up to Paradise and look at the job. The estimate is free, done on site and written out so you can see what's included, and there's no pressure to book.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (530) 399-1517
- Location
- Chico, CA 95928
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Questions about masonry work in Paradise
Do I need a permit for masonry work on my house in Paradise, CA?
For work that changes the building itself, like rebuilding a chimney or adding stone veneer, the Town says a permit is needed in most cases. That guidance is written for business buildings, so for a home, and for yard work like a freestanding wall, we check with the Building Division before we price it. You can read the Town's building permit guidance or call Town Hall at (530) 872-6291, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Does an out-of-town contractor need a Paradise business license?
Yes, a business based in another city with no location in Paradise needs a Town business license when it serves Paradise residents or businesses. Every business has to register with the Town each year, and a new one registers before it does any work there.
Can I request building inspections online in Paradise?
Yes, the Town takes permit applications and inspection requests online through its permit portal. When we're handling the permit for your job, you usually won't need to log in, but it's there if you want to follow along.
How much does masonry work cost in Paradise, CA?
Your cost is set mostly by these things: the size of the job, how steep the lot is, what has to be torn out first and whether we're matching old brick. Matching takes the most time, since I work out the mortar and the brick color before we lay anything, and you'll see each of those pieces broken out in the written estimate.
How do I know if my chimney is safe after the Camp Fire?
Have it checked up close, because the damage heat leaves is usually in the mortar and the crown, the concrete cap on top, not on the brick faces you see from the yard. I'll go up, scratch the joints to see if they've gone soft and sandy, look for cracked brick and a split crown, and then tell you plainly whether it's a repair or a rebuild.
What causes retaining walls to lean on sloped lots in Paradise?
Water trapped behind the wall is usually the cause, because winter rain soaks the soil on a slope and pushes on a wall that has no drainage or too small a footing. When we rebuild one, we fix the drain and the footing first, since a new wall built on the same mistakes leans the same way.
Get your Paradise masonry job looked at
A crack or a lean you can see now is usually a smaller fix than what it turns into after another wet winter.
Request an estimateCall (530) 399-1517